Reaching out to others about my experiences in and around New Orleans. I've been volunteering with residents of New Orleans since April 2006, and falling in love with the city and its people since our move to Baton Rouge in 2005.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Henry Rollins: Uncut in New Orleans

My dear friend Max just made me aware of this documentary, so here I am checking out Henry Rollins reporting on the healing and suffering of New Orleans three years post-Katrina. I remember that fire in me of years past listening to Henry with Black Flag, and now that fire stirs in the context of my New Orleans connection. It powers an outward evolution of my relationship to the city that brings me back in deeper with my friends there, and the city's people, causes, and life.

Three years after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, Henry Rollins ventures to New Orleans to examine the city’s current condition first hand. Avoiding the tourist centers, Henry is overwhelmed by the lack of progress being made in the surrounding areas. In his search for answers, Henry instead discovers a fresh slate of devastating problems that now threaten this community post-Katrina. Even as tourism approaches pre-storm levels, tens of thousands of residents find themselves dealing with the depression of a city still living with the wreckage of the levee’s breach and current victimization by a surge in violent crime. Through exclusive interviews with author Jed Horne (Editor of leading New Orleans newspaper, the Times Picayune, during Katrina), city officials like Cecile Tebo (Mental Crisis Coordinator, NO Police), and Jim Bernazanni (FBI), it becomes glaringly obvious New Orleans still needs help. Henry’s stage performance at the legendary Tipitina’s music venue is thus a tribute to the people of New Orleans who continue to persevere. Henry also has the opportunity to meet with music legend Irma Thomas, the “Soul Queen of New Orleans,” who explains how the music community has been affected and the role they continue to play in the aftermath.